DRINKING WATER
Success Roadmap For Advanced Metering Infrastructure Installations
For a water utility of any size to function properly, effective meter reading is a vital aspect of day-to-day operations. Meter reading supports both ends of the transaction, ensuring that water is being properly delivered, accounted for and billed each month.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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![EMEA_CS_WS_Bristol_Water_Quality200520-4]( "Meeting Customer Demands For Clean Water At Bristol Water")
Meeting Customer Demands For Clean Water At Bristol WaterBristol Water provides clean, fresh drinking water every day to approximately 1.2 million people in the city of Bristol and surrounding areas in the west of England. As part of taking inventory on ways to improve its service, Bristol Water undertook its largest ever program of customer engagement. This invited customers to participate in the decisions Bristol Water makes about the future of their water services.
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Aerobic Treatment Of Wastewater For Fish Flour And Fish Oil Company Reuse
A fish flour and fish oil processing company produces 100 tons of flour a day from fish waste resulting from the broth concentration plant and from drying of flour, washing water, boiler blowdown and cooling towers. The company needed to treat its wastewater and to reduce its water supply costs.
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A Multi Process Approach With One Single Solution
A joint effort between the city of Hollister, the San Benito County Water District and the Sunny slope County Water District, the group proposed the West Hills Water Treatment Plant (WHWTP) project to improve drinking water quality, water supply reliability, and to balance regional water resources in the Hollister Urban Area (HUA). Historically, HUA relied primarily on local groundwater basins for meeting their drinking water demands. While groundwater met all drinking water regulations, it is high in minerals and hardness that often resulted in scaling and the need for further conditioning.
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![communitiesbucket]( "Delivering Intelligent Connectivity To Prepare For The Next Decade")
Delivering Intelligent Connectivity To Prepare For The Next DecadeFrom aging infrastructure and coping with natural disasters, to an increased desire to incorporate renewables and optimize the network, utilities and communities continue to adapt to the macro effects in play today. Now more than ever, we have a collective opportunity to find new ways to innovate and demonstrate resiliency through technology.
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Constructing A Winding Box Culvert Channel In A Steep, Rocky Canyon
Special precast box culverts were used for one of the most significant segments of the $25.8 million emergency water restoration project, designated by the NRCS, known as the Cache Water Restoration Project (CWRP). The CWRP project involved the reconstruction and improvement of approximately six miles of mostly open, unlined channels that make up the Logan and Northern, as well as the Hyde Park and Smithfield canals. The project incorporated new precast pipeline, box culverts, a section of pressurized pipe, metering systems, turn-outs, head gates, and improved maintenance access.
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![WWT-Guide-1121-2]( "How To Optimize Flow Measurement For Process Efficiency")
How To Optimize Flow Measurement For Process EfficiencyBusy municipal water engineers will find that the new Water and Wastewater Treatment Guide from Fluid Components International explains how to optimize flow measurement in 20 different municipal applications.
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![Getty-1350848039-water-utility-worker]( "Making The Most Of Data And Decision Intelligence")
Making The Most Of Data And Decision IntelligenceHear how utilities are overcoming operational challenges, such as non-revenue water and leak detection, using digital technologies.
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![Figure - 3 phoenix]( "PermaSeal Insertion Valve Provides Operational Efficiency In Arizona")
PermaSeal Insertion Valve Provides Operational Efficiency In ArizonaTo limit customer shutdowns and reduce non-revenue water loss, the City of Phoenix agreed to be a part of the first live installation of the PermaSeal Insertion Valve and test the capabilities and benefits obtained from utilizing the resilient wedge gate valve design.
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How To Conduct A Pilot Test For Iron & Manganese Removal From Groundwater Using Manganese Dioxide Filter Media
There are various treatment processes that are used to remove iron and manganese from ground water for potable water supplies. While there are various less common treatment methods used (such as ion exchange and ultra-filtration), most treatment systems for iron oxidize the ferrous state of iron to a ferric state so the solid particles can then be filtered out.
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![getty-491114280-queenstown]( "UV Water Treatment Plants For Microorganism Prevention")
UV Water Treatment Plants For Microorganism PreventionRecognizing the urgent need to ensure safe drinking water, the Queenstown Lakes District Council in New Zealand partnered with FILTEC to implement advanced UV water treatment solutions across key plants.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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Waste Technologies Transform Problems To Profit9/8/2015
Anaerobic digestion processes that radically improve the quality of wastewater while delivering green energy extracted from biological waste streams are emerging as a profitable way for agricultural and food processing industries cope with the twin impact of drought and pollution challenges.
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Why Should We Care About NSF/ANSI 61 Certification?3/17/2021
According to National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), it's a set of standards relating to water treatment and establishes criteria for the control of equipment that comes in contact with either potable water or products that support the production of water.
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Lab Gas Sub-Metering Accuracy Improves With Thermal Flow Meters To Save Money12/1/2017
Facility administrators will find the advanced ST100 Series Thermal Mass Air/Gas Flow Meter from Fluid Components International (FCI) helps them improve the accuracy of specialty gas point of use and sub-metering operations to achieve accurate billing in their labs for better cost tracking and control.
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FLEX-TEND® Flexible Expansion Joints, Features And Specifications12/3/2020
FLEX-TEND® flexible expansion joints are designed to protect structures and pipelines from differential movement whether this movement is earthquake induced or the gradual motion of soil subsidence. This bulletin offers a concise listing and discussion of the important features and materials of the double and single ball assemblies.
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Application Note: Miami Conservancy District Uses Nitrate Screening As Conjunctive Management Tool1/20/2010Tasked with monitoring a watershed covering nearly 4,000 square miles, almost 2,300 miles of rivers and streams, and a huge aquifer that provides drinking water for more than 1.2 million people, water quality monitoring specialists at the Miami Conservancy District (MCD) in Dayton, Ohio, have their hands full. By YSI
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Veterinary Drug Residue Analysis Using The AutoMate-Q40: An Automated Solution To QuEChERS10/1/2014
QuEChERS is a Quick-Easy-Cheap-Effective-Rugged-Safe extraction method that has been developed for the determination of pesticide residues in agricultural commodities.
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Active Energy Control – Energy Reductions Of Up To 10% Above Standard Drives4/1/2017
Energy costs continue to increase. At the same time, there is increased pressure to reduce utility bills without sacrificing operations or comfort.
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Application Note: Troubleshooting A pH Electrode1/26/2011
Many factors affect performance of a pH electrode. When performance degrades, it is always a challenge for the analyst to identify the cause. Common troubleshooting procedures, which include evaluation of slope, electrode drift, time response, and accuracy, take considerable time. By Thermo Fisher Scientific
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Dissolved Oxygen Measurement11/11/2013
One of the most important measurements in the determination of the health of a body of water is its dissolved oxygen content. The quantity of dissolved oxygen in water is normally expressed in parts per million (ppm) by weight and is due to the solubility of oxygen from the atmosphere around us.
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Bridge Crossings And The Proper Use Of EX-TEND®, FLEX-TEND®, And Force Balanced FLEX-TEND Products11/1/2020
Of particular interest when it comes to bridges is the locating of pressurized water lines on and under bridge structures. Pressurized pipelines can present a number of unique challenges to the design engineer and utility owner.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
Engineered and built for dependable performance, the TrojanUVSwift® requires a minimal number of lamps to treat a given flow, and is serviceable from one side for easy maintenance. It also incorporates innovative features to reduce operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, including variable output lamp drivers and our revolutionary ActiClean® automatic sleeve wiping system.
Many owners and installers prefer the strength and simplicity of HDSS Pipe and Fittings. The joint is integrally restrained which gives it four advantages:
Recordall® Disc Series meters are an accurate, cost-effective solution for your metering needs. These positive displacement meters utilize the industry-leading nutating disc technology to drive accuracy and reliability.
The PT6 is a rugged, lab-accurate water quality pocket tester with simple, one-button functionality.
HYMAX GRIP joins and restrains a wide selection of pipes of different types and diameters, easily and reliably. Due to its patented design, it allows the joining of pipes of the same or different materials and diameters and preventing axial pipe movement.
The MEGA-STOP® is a safe and economical “over-insertion” solution. With it, you can properly and quickly assemble pipe joints each and every time.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![Legionella pneumophila-GettyImages-1451790531]( "Legionella And The Need For Next-Generation Detection: Steps Water Utilities Can Take To Alleviate The Risk")
As water systems grow more complex and climate patterns shift, Legionella is emerging as one of the most persistent and underestimated risks in the built environment. The threat to public health from Legionnaires' disease will likely further escalate unless decisive action is taken.
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![maasjackson]( "Metering as a Service Improves Jackson, MS, Water Infrastructure")
The city of Jackson faced a water crisis that went beyond the tap. What began as an ambitious plan to modernize its water metering infrastructure in 2014 became a logistical and financial nightmare, costing the city millions in lost revenue and declining public trust. Metering as a Service (MaaS) offered the city an alternative option.
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![leadpipeInground_Getty-2211014580]( "The Final Mile: The U.S. Simply Must Rush To Finish Its Critical Lead-Pipe Cleanup")
There has been an abundance of funding available to address the estimated 9.2 million lead service lines currently deliver drinking water to homes, businesses, schools, and unsuspecting citizens throughout the United States. So it is disheartening to realize that millions of lead water lines are still delivering water to citizens.
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![Digital communication-GettyImages-2042965298]( "Beaverton's New AMI Solution Checks Every Box: Operations, Billing, Service, And Savings")
This Q&A follows the Webinar: Beaverton's New AMI Solution Checks Every Box: Operations, Billing, Service, & Savings hosted by Water Online on October 21, 2025. The webinar featured the leadership team from Beaverton Water Division as they discussed lessons learned across operations, billing, and customer service, offering a 360-degree perspective on implementing and managing an AMI system.
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![Digital communication-GettyImages-2042965298]( "AI, Data Centers, And Water")
Amid the AI-fueled gold rush, more leaders are beginning to pay attention to the short- and long-term natural resource concerns, especially around all the water needed to keep data centers running. -
![Money down drain-GettyImages-171578755]( "Is This The End Of Affordable Water?")
Water pricing often fails to reflect scarcity, quality, or long-term risk, forcing companies to act internally. But this action is not being done in a vacuum. The ripple effect of internal water pricing is bound to impact water utilities, and ultimately, ratepayers and consumers.
DRINKING WATER VIDEOS
Check out this brief video with Greg, and industry veteran and our Product Manager for Measurement technologies, as he provides a lowdown on the new AWWA Standard covering solid-state meters which are increasingly being adopted by water utilities of all sizes.
See how SIWA MDM Event and Data Action Management (EDAM) helps utilities detect anomalies and identify service points with potential issues. With EDAM, utilities can define a set of conditions or rules that SIWA MDM meter data management uses to analyze data and events such as water leaks and missing reads.
ABOUT DRINKING WATER
In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:
- Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
- Drinking water treatment of source water
- Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers
Drinking Water Sources
Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater.
Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.
Drinking Water Treatment
Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.
There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.
The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.
The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.
During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.
Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.
Drinking Water Distribution
Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.
A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.
Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.